Review Blog

Dec 04 2014

Glenn Maxwell series by Patrick Loughlin

Ill. by James Hart. Random House Australia, 2014.Lucky break. ISBN 9780857986078Academy All-stars. ISBN 9780857986092
Young Will Allbright is a pretty handy player who loves his game and
has, like many youngsters, a drive to succeed at it. After his coach
nominates him to participate in an upcoming T20 training camp, Will
realises that it is not just the love of the game that will get him
through - though, that's an important part - but dedication,
commitment and hard work. It helps, of course, when your cricketing
hero Glenn Maxwell, is going to be one of your mentors. At the camp,
the pressure is on to be one of the chosen selected kids to enter
the T20 Youth Academy program and Will discovers in himself inner
reserves to enable this.
When Will survives the onslaught of 'Killer' MacKinnon's demonic
speed bowling and several other contretemps, he is accepted into the
Academy's program.
This doesn't mean the end of his nerves and anxieties though - far
from it! He faces even more when the training program is underway
including having to compete with his best mate, Shavil, for the
opening batsman's spot.
This series is very accessible to those readers who may not be our
most accomplished readers and is also highly engaging. One of the
standouts for me is that our talented girl players are not ignored
- in fact, they give the boys a run (sorry!) for their money!
There are two more episodes already on the release lists and my
prediction is that these books will be devoured by both boys and
girls who aspire to wearing the baggy green for our great country.
You simply can't go wrong in getting these onto your library shelves
and while we are in the tail end (sorry, again) of the year, you
just know your kids are going to come back in January, rehashing
every match they have watched. See these fly off the shelves then!
Sue Warren